If Only
by Moonlit Dreaming
Summary: She knows her wedding should be the most important day of her life, but Flora's marriage appears to be falling apart before its even begun. And nobody seems to notice. Oneshot. Flora x Carter, Flora x Daryl.


**Disclaimer -** Harvest Moon does not belong to me.

**Author's note - **Hey all! The idea for this sort, slightly depressing oneshot came to me while playing HM: DS Cute. After unlocking Flora and Carter's final heart event, he said things like, "Is marriage worth it," then at the ceremony seemed even less enthusiastic... and this story was born. Reviews would be greatly appreciated, if you have the time. Enjoy!

If Only

" - So I'd like to thank you all for being here today, and sharing this moment with Flora and I," Carter concluded heartily, as the crowd raised their glasses in a toast. The beach was surprisingly windy for mid-summer, but his booming voice easily eclipsed the breeze. "And I can only hope that this union will signal the beginning of a wonderful academic career for the two of us, and that the astounding archeological progress of Forget-Me-Not Valley will continue to grow."

A red-faced Flora sank deeper and deeper into her seat. Academic career? _Archeological progress,_ for Goddess sake!? Who _said_ that sort of thing at a wedding? There was no mention at all of his _love_ for her in that monologue. No mention of the L-word at all. He didn't call them soul mates, or even _lovers_. Anyone would think they were colleagues and nothing more.

Perhaps, she mused sadly, they'd be exactly right.

Flora had never felt more humiliated in her entire life, yet, strangely, nobody seemed to notice. The crowd burst into appreciative applause as Carter sat down heavily, next to his woefully embarrassed bride. She started by taking a tentative sip of her cheap, supermarket-bought wine, but ended up draining the glass. Champagne, apparently, was deemed an over-expensive waste, when the money could be _much_ better spent on new tools for the excavation. Of course, that was Carter's sentiment, not hers. Never mind the fact that this was supposed to be the most special day of their lives.

She let her eyes wander across the gaggle of guests, while Carter beside her eagerly tucked into the wedding buffet. He briefly mentioned making the most of a decent meal, though she chose not to answer. There were tables strewn all across the beach, with small groups of villagers huddled around each one. From her position at the top table, Flora could tell that just about everyone had turned up to witness her and Carter's 'special' day. She was starting to wish they hadn't bothered now.

Sat nearby were another couple of newly-weds, Claire, the local farmer, and her husband Kai. Flora remembered _their_ wedding vividly. That, too, had been held in the summer. Late summer in that case, on a hot, hazy day with not a cloud in the sky and no cool breeze to speak of.

And pathetic though it undoubtedly was, Flora could recall Kai's speech word for word. _His_ hadn't been overly romantic or soppy, either - but then it didn't need to be. The look in his eyes as he regarded his beautiful, young bride, said far more than any empty words.

Flora had neither. No words to reassure her that she was loved. No 'looks' to explain away the lack of outward affection - to convince her that he did care, just couldn't properly express it. Nothing.

Carter had trawled through his vows like they were a mere formality; not a chance to declare his love to the world. He had groaned and grumbled his way along, while Flora had uttered 'I do' without a second thought. Looking back, she realised she'd sounded like an excitable, breathless schoolgirl. The second Carter refused to mirror her enthusiasm, however, she felt herself fill from top to toe with utter, unrelenting horror.

Her fears of catty laughter behind her back seemed rather unfounded when Flora glanced around at the beaming faces. It didn't stop her worrying, though. She was beginning to feel so paranoid that nothing would. After watching Claire proudly pat her growing baby bump for a further few minutes, she looked away, the longing ache in her chest becoming too much to bear.

She tried hard to busy herself with her meal, but soon found that nothing would take her mind off this diaster of a wedding ceremony. At least if the wine and despair compounded to create tears, she could pass them off as an expression of joy. And as no one had yet noticed her true feelings, it was unlikely that they'd doubt her claim.

Flora couldn't help but wonder what _he_ thought about all this.

Not Carter. The... _admirer._

Only that was putting it lightly. Even she could admit that Daryl was far more of a stalker than anything else. Surprisingly, he had turned up for the wedding and she could clearly see him out of the corner of her eye, lingering at the very edge of her vision - as he always did.

Why had he shown up today? Was it simply to see her, regardless of the fact that she was now a married woman? The mere idea of it sent shivers pulsing through the archeologist. She knew it was wrong - she'd only just got married, for Goddess sake - but she simply couldn't help it.

Admittedly, Flora actually knew very little about Daryl. He was a scientist, seen as an 'outsider' in Forget-Me-Not Valley and frequently referred to as weird. Strange. Different. And most important of all, he loved her. Or, at least, the idea of her.

Either way, that one little fact seemed to eclipse everything else.

It didn't take much for Flora to recall the days when Daryl's attention had more alarmed her, than flattered her. Now though... well now, things were vastly different. She couldn't care less if Daryl loved _her_ or just the thought of her. Or if he simply liked the sound of her name.

That didn't matter. It was exciting, it was daring, it was a million miles away from her oh-so-boring life. That was what _she_ loved.

Only a few weeks ago, back in the spring and before her engagement, Flora had spotted Daryl hanging around near the excavation site. Her heart started to pound furiously when she noticed the tell-tale glint of glasses, the mop of messy black hair and that long, white lab coat. Most of all, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the bunch of yellow spring flowers he had clasped in his hand.

In that moment, as she hovered nervously in the entrance of the mine, Flora felt all her common sense evaporating. She forgot all about Carter, who was searching for a particular book in their nearby tent. Just like that, she was no longer Flora, the meek and mild archeologist. She was, or rather wanted to be, an entirely new person. This daring, romantic being had invaded her body, bewitched her mind and was silently willing a reclusive scinentist to come and confront her. To show Carter that she wasn't automatically _his_, that he may have a little competition on his hands...

...Then, as the tent was noisily unzipped, Carter's confident voice crashed through the calm, morning air and Daryl scarpered like a nervous rabbit.

Infuriatingly, her colleague never noticed a thing. "Why are you looking so flushed, Flora?" he tutted, as they retreated into the darkness. She failed to reply, but shot one last secretive glance over her shoulder. There was no one there; the landscape was frustratingly empty. Deflated, she scuttled off into the shadows.

Even though today was her wedding day, that same daring persona kept creeping into the back of Flora's mind. Despite the pain and scandal it would cause in such a tiny community, she wanted nothing more than for Daryl to say something. Anything. She wanted it to be known that _some_one loved her, because, right now, all they would see was a marriage of convenience - not of real romance.

But_ why_ didn't he have the courage to fight for her?

As the wedding reception dragged on and on, nobody seemed to notice the looks shared between the quiet archeologist and the lonely scientist. Maybe they simply weren't paying attention. Maybe they simply didn't care...

Flora prayed for the latter, but knew that it wouldn't make any difference either way. However boring and loveless her life was now, she was certain it would only get worse the second she dared to raise her voice.

Life was cruel that way.

Later that night she fell asleep, safe in the knowledge that someone out there _did_ love her.

Now if only he had the courage to say it...


End file.
